The 2024 OGRAIN Organic Grain Conference will be held Feb. 2-3, with an optional Regenerative Organic Event on Feb. 1. The conference will take place at the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. UW–Madison’s OGRAIN program provides resources and support for new, transitioning and experienced organic grain farmers throughout the upper Midwest.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend 18 workshop sessions on a variety of topics relevant to new and experienced organic producers. Farmer speakers, industry professionals and researchers will be sharing the latest technology, production approaches and science related to organic grain production. A partnership with the Artisan Grain Collaborative brings sessions dedicated to the production and marketing of higher value food-grade grains, with topics including disease and weed management, processing and handling. Ample time for networking and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange is also built into the event, with farmer and industry roundtables, exhibitor visits and social hours.
The conference will feature two keynote speakers: Wendy Johnson and Klaas Martens. Wendy Johnson is an organic grain farmer in NE Iowa and the owner and operator of Joia Food and Fiber Farm. She is an active advocate for organic farmers and is involved with several organizations supporting the growth of the organic industry. Klaas Martens farms with his wife Mary-Howell and son Peter in upstate New York, with more than 1600 organic corn, soybean and small grain acres. In addition to farming, he and his family operate Lakeview Organic Grain, a certified feed and seed business.
More than 25 organic grain industry businesses and institutions, including buyers and seed dealers, will be present at the event to share information about services, equipment and resources they offer to organic grain producers.
The 2024 conference will be held at the Monona Terrace, 1 John Nolen Dr, Madison, Wis. For more information and to register, visit https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/ograin-events/2534-2/. The cost is $90 for early registration (before Jan. 2) and $100 for regular registration. The registration fee includes breakfast, snacks and lunch on both days of the conference. The Feb. 1 event is offsite and requires a separate registration.
Source : wisc.edu